The presentation event for the Ceratopía project, coordinated by the Association of Forest Municipalities of the Valencian Community (AMUFOR) and with IATA-CSIC as a partner, was held at the institute's headquarters. The event, titled ‘Innovating in Carob for Healthier Food and a More Resilient Territory’, featured participation from authorities including Amparo López, Director of IATA; Mª Matilde Marín, Mayor of Enguera and President of AMUFOR; Juan José Cortés, Director General of Innovation of the Generalitat Valenciana; and Mª Àngels Ramón-Llin, Director General of Agricultural and Livestock Production.
Amparo López highlighted the importance of transforming knowledge into opportunities with impact beyond the laboratory, especially for revaluing products like carob in the face of global challenges. Mª Matilde Marín advocated for creating breaks in forest land to curb the spread of fires. Mª Àngels Ramón-Llin emphasized the benefits of carob, while Juan José Cortés underscored the project's direct territorial impact.
Francisca Rández, an IATA researcher, detailed that the work will focus on studying microbiological diversity in soils and carob trees, as well as developing new food applications from carob pulp. The research team will select microorganisms to enhance the nutritional and sensory properties of new bakery products, using natural extracts rich in antioxidants.
Susana Guzmán, a researcher at IHSM-CSIC, explained that new materials and applications will be developed from carob biomass, including the study of bio-packaging to extend the product's shelf life. Aitana Mollá, an AMUFOR technician, indicated that the entity will lead territorial and agroforestry management actions, validating processes to identify old carob terraces and strategic areas for fire prevention.
“"It is essential to transform knowledge into opportunities and for these to have an impact outside the laboratory."
Subsequently, a round table discussed the opportunities of carob in the Mediterranean territory, with participation from Juanjo Rausell (Bakery and Pastry Guild of Valencia), Sebastián Hevilla (Guadalhorce Valley Rural Development Group), Juan Manuel Micheo (Agro-food Cooperatives of Andalusia), Juan José Rico (FEDACOVA), Javier Martínez (AMUFOR), Carlos Bernabé (INDESPAN), and Eduardo Sanmartín (EZSANSA). The participants agreed on the importance of developing products with producer and consumer approval, informing about the healthy and sustainable benefits of carob, and ensuring that added value reaches producers through business synergies.
The event concluded with a tasting of innovative products made with carob, serving as a meeting point for stakeholders interested in promoting carob and improving the territory.
